Thai police and electricity authorities announced that an illegal Bitcoin mining operation has been shut down in central Thailand following a series of unexplained power outages that plagued a local community for several weeks.
Thai Authorities Raid Illegal Bitcoin Mine After Power Outages
The raid on Sunday took place in Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, AFP reported.
In the operation, Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) officials and local police targeted a house suspected of carrying out illegal mining activities.
District security chief Jamnong Chanwong said the power outages began in mid-July, likely coinciding with the mine reaching full operational capacity.
Authorities noted that the mining operation was consuming large amounts of electricity while paying minimum wage, leading to suspicious situations.
Southeast Asia has become a hot spot for Bitcoin miners seeking affordable electricity, skilled labor, and reliable infrastructure, especially since China banned all crypto mining operations in 2021.
The region’s increasing crypto mining activity has led to increased scrutiny from authorities, particularly in cases of electricity theft.
Last week, Malaysian authorities took decisive action against illegal mining activities, destroying 985 Bitcoin mining machines worth an estimated $452,500.
In a separate incident earlier this month, Sepang provincial police arrested seven people accused of running bitcoin mining operations using stolen electricity.
The latest raid in Thailand highlights the ongoing difficulty of curbing illegal crypto mining operations in Southeast Asia as demand for cheap energy continues to grow among Bitcoin miners.
*This is not investment advice.